You Now Have to Be 21 Years Old to Buy Cigarettes in Suffolk County
A new county law took effect January 1, 2015, that sets 21 as the new minimum age to buy tobacco products in Suffolk, up from 19 years old.
Out of the 18 legislators in the Suffolk County Legislature, 10 voted in favor of the measure, which County Executive Steve Bellone signed into law in April.
Legislator Jay Schneiderman, who represents the South Fork, was among those who supported the bill.
“I can’t think of anything really redeeming about cigarettes, personally,” Schneiderman said in April. “They’re poisoning and addictive. They kill people in several different ways.”
RELATED: Schneiderman: Tobacco 21 Vote Will Curtail Smoking, Save Lives
The law applies to cigarettes, chewing tobacco and other tobacco products as well as e-cigarettes and liquid nicotine.
New York City raised the age to 21 as of April 1, 2014.